Calvin Klein Collection / Resort 2012

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Before going any further, let’s just say the Resort 2012 sandal contest—who can step forward as the winner in the battle for the best use of leather straps and buckles for the airier, warmer weather—got a little more competitive when another contender emerged Wednesday morning. In the minimal corner: Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein, whose “racer back” ankle-strap sandal rested on a thick, flat white rubber wedge sole, while the upper came in a very CK-appropriate white leather or black patent and, occasionally, clear plastic. (Incidentally, not the first time the transparent vinyl shoe has reared its synthetic head over the past few days.)

With appropriately single-minded rigor, Costa paired the sandals with everything from a white silk crepe de Chine double-breasted jacket devoid of detail save for a tiny belt worn over a matching skirt with micro-pleated folds that allowed the fabric to undulate in a fluid yet controlled way and fell to a few inches above the ankles to an elegant black silk/wool long dress suspended from sculptural metal straps that traced their way all around to the back. Between those two looks, the tone of Costa’s resort—streamlined and spare, but with a gentle softness—was set: his update on all of the charmeuse silk dressing that Calvin Klein himself did back in the day. And the color palette was also pretty much defined in black and white, too, save the very occasional foray into a purple-tinged blue or a lilac with a touch of gray. It’s a shame. As Costa has proved recently with much of his red-carpet dressing (Emma Stone, Zoe Saldana, Lara Stone spring to mind), when he chooses to brighten his brand of minimalism with strong color, it positively and joyfully sings out.